After years of practice, Jay Rayner has rules on Christmas lunch. Don’t faff over a starter; ditch most of the veg; always set fire to something
The first inquiry always comes about now, as autumn gives way to winter. “So,” the questioner asks, wet-lipped with anticipation, “what are you going to be having on the big day?” The implication is obvious. I am employed to travel the country passing judgment on restaurants both grand and less so. I look down my nose at the offerings of MasterChef contestants and then deliver a crushing verdict. Surely, therefore, Christmas lunch in my house must be magnificent; the platonic ideal of Christmas lunches to which all others must aspire, a parade of poise and ooh and ah.
I don’t blame anyone for thinking like this, because it’s what I think too. Mine really should be magnificent. It’s no accident that I’ve been a restaurant critic for two decades. I brood about what I’ll be having for dinner while eating breakfast, and daydream perfect lunch menus designed to make my guests swoon, even when I haven’t invited any. So, of course, I want my Christmas lunch to be the very best it can be. The problem is making it so.
Continue reading...from Lifestyle | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2NVSbvp